Huckabee: Trip To Iowa Definitely Political

Former Arkansas Governor and potential 2012 contender Mike Huckabee (R) doesn't want there to be any question about the reason he is going to Iowa later this month -- politics.

Huck PAC executive director Hogan Gidley issued a statement Wednesday night that makes it very clear that Huckabee is seriously considering a run for the presidency.

Huckabee is visiting Iowa on Nov. 21 to fundraise for the Family Policy Center, a conservative Christian Group. On Wednesday, a local pastor, Dean Schmitt, suggested in a video that Huckabee was visiting Iowa not as a politician, but as a pastor.

"Mike Huckabee is coming to Des Moines on Nov. 21," said Schmitt. "He's coming not as a politician but as a pastor."

"The governor often speaks openly and unapologetically about his own personal Christian faith, but he doesn't want there to be any confusion as to the nature of this invitation," he said. "The speaking request was made through Governor Huckabee's Political Action Committee. The governor was invited to speak about the political issues of the day and how they shape the culture of our country. His message will be political, but not partisan."

We have noted previously that Huckabee has traveled to Iowa the least of the potential 2012 GOP field. This is one of the first visits by a presidential contender to the state since the midterms, however, and it looks like Huckabee is trying to get as much political mileage out of it as he can.